three is a charm, two is not the same
by JeDorsToutLeTemps
Summary: Klefaroline drabbles, mostly AU/AH. Mostly domestic, because I'm a total sucker. Rated T for now. Review!
1. nightmares

Title from Britney Spears' Three. I don't own anything you see below. Also, this is my first drabbles series, so bare with me, please! I'm also writing a multi-chapter fic right now, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update this.

 **Prompt:** A has a history of severe nightmares, B knows how to calm A down but is out of town, C has to try for the first time alone

 **Pertinent Info** : Established Klefaroline, hinted mutual pining, Klaroline turned into Klefaroline. AU/AH. This chapter is mainly Klefan, though. The dog I'm talking about in this is real, you can find the cute pupper at r/aww/comments/5imzoz/my_classmate_brought_his_pupper_to_class_reddit/ on reddit.

 **Warnings** : Rated T for suggestive language, nightmares, referenced/non-graphic child abuse supplemented with fluff.

* * *

Stefan's dreaming of Caroline clones wearing superhero outfits, and he's loving it. She's kicking ass, taking names, and then scolding him for trying to help since she's clearly the more experienced here.

He knows it's his way of including her while she's out of state for a family issue - more like, a dad issue, one of several that she's made them miss in order to keep everyone sane. It's just, their bed in New Orleans feels empty without her, and if he can't have her in real life, he'll have her in his dreams.

And they're just turning good, she's dragging her fingers down his chest, when Klaus kicks him so hard, he falls out of bed and into the land of the awake.

The quilt Caroline's step-grandma made for them comes with him, while the sheets stay with Klaus. He sits up, blinking crusty eyes hard, and looks over to Klaus. He's writhing, and not in the good way. His eyes move around behind his eyelids frantically, and he's panting.

Stefan thinks, _oh shit_.

He thinks that because it's always been Caroline who's done this. She's always been the one who comforts their boyfriend. They'd been together since high school, and Stefan's only a new addition, really. A month has gone by - well, twenty years of being friends, being pathetically in love with his two best friends, and a month of sex has gone by - and in that month, Klaus hasn't had any nightmares.

God, the last time he dealt with one was...their sleepover, the summer after second grade, and Stefan had just gone and gotten Caroline's mom, and she dealt with it.

But it's just Stefan this time, with Caroline back home, and no parents to hide behind.

He pulls himself back on the bed, and almost catches one of Klaus' knees in the junk. With a wince, he eases himself next to Klaus. Usually, his boyfriend being shirtless and slightly sweaty would be a turn on, but the look on Klaus' face is definitely not making him hot.

Caroline had told him that she'd just hug him, pet him, and soothe him. With no better ideas, and the knowledge that her way works, he does just that.

He eases an arm under Klaus' chest, and wraps the other around his back. The hand on his back moves up to his head, while his elbow stays where it was. Klaus tensed when his arms came around him, but he relaxes the second Stefan's hand touches his scalp. His eyes stop moving so frantically, which is good but not ideal, since Caroline says it's best to wake him up full-stop.

So, with a goal in mind, he continues.

Klaus' hair is softer than anyone imagines. Stefan loves clutching it in his fingers, and he completely understands why Caroline likes to pet it.

As for the soothing...he has no idea how to do that beyond shushing Klaus. So, he just starts talking.

"I know you said we couldn't get a dog, but we really want one. Me and Care would take care of it so good you wouldn't have to acknowledge it, really. We would train it, and it would be really, really good, and we could take it with us whenever we visit family…. It would be really adorable all around, and we'd be like a little family…." He isn't sure what else to say, since Klaus has been adamant about no dogs since one bit him when he was three. "We could give it a really cute name. Oh, I could take it with me to school, and he'd make me lots of friends, you know, friends I don't sleep with…."

He looks at Klaus' face, and is surprised to see he's awake. Instead of scowling, glaring, or ignoring, as is his usual reaction, he's just looking at Stefan. Not even at his lips, just...all over.

Stefan shuts his mouth, staring back. This isn't like their juvenile staring contests back in the day - this is something that Klaus has done with Caroline for years.

After a long moment of noticing all of the intricacies of Klaus' face, his boyfriend rasps, "why do you and Caroline keep harping on an on about getting a dog?"

Stefan snuggles closer, and answers cheekily, "because one of these days, you'll get tired of hearing us 'harping on about' it and let us get one."

"I don't want a dog."

"But it could cuddle with us," he tries, going along with the deflection.

"And when we want to do more than cuddle, and it's still there?"

"Take it outside? I don't know." At Klaus' look, he says, a touch defensively, "I just want a dog, and Caroline does, too, okay? We haven't worked out the kinks yet."

He smiles, and dips his head into Stefan's neck. "Maybe someday, love."

Stefan grins triumphantly and reminds himself to tell Caroline so they can make sure he keeps his word.

Time goes by slowly, Klaus pressing kisses on his neck but not going any farther.

Eventually, Stefan asks, "do you wanna talk about it?"

Klaus sighs. "Just my father again. Not the one you've met, the one who's in jail. I don't want to talk about it."

He drags a hand up and down Klaus' toned back. "Don't wanna talk about it like you don't wanna talk to Kol or don't wanna talk about it like you don't wanna talk about getting a dog?"

He chuckles. "Like getting a dog. I don't hate Kol that much."

"Yeah, well, I do. I'm not over the time he dyed my hair pink."

"That was one of his shining moments," Klaus counters with a laugh.

"You say that now, but if Caroline hears that, she'll remind you of the time he told her mom that you guys were together and it won't be so funny anymore, will it?"

Klaus doesn't answer, just presses kisses up his jaw and shifts them so that Stefan is back-to-the-bed, under Klaus. He rests in between Stefan's legs, and kisses down his chest.

Stefan grins, "you've been deflecting a lot tonight."

"Is it working?"

"Honestly? Yes."

…:::...

Caroline comes back soon after and hounds Klaus about the dog. She also hears about their hot sex and has them reenact it for her, several times.

They do get the a dog, a cute lab puppy they name Bender after the character on The Breakfast Club - the first R rated movie they ever watched together.

And, even though Klaus insists he won't warm to the dog, he's the first of them to take a nap with Bender on him.

Stefan and Caroline vow to never let him live it down.


	2. royalty au

Title from Britney Spears' Three. I don't own anything you see below. Also, this is my first drabbles series, so bare with me, please! I'm also writing a multi-chapter fic right now, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update this.

 **Prompt:** King Klaus, Queen Caroline, Servant Stefan, 1940s AU

 **Pertinent Info** : Established Klaroline. A lot of this is nebulous, like where it takes place, how it was Klaus who ascended to the throne, etc. I chose the 1940s because it was a time where they had to be conservative but still modern. Also, in this, Matt is Caroline's cousin.

 **Warnings** : Rated T for suggestive language, propositions, discussion of a relationship, mentions of pregnancy.

* * *

Klaus swept into the throne room with a stern look. When he saw his dear wife, his Queen, sitting on her throne, his scowl turned into a smile. He moved to his throne just as he did every day before their meetings with their people. Today, he knew, they weren't going to be meeting with the citizens, and he couldn't find it in himself to be upset over it.

No one was in the room but the discreet guards, so he leaned into Caroline's space. The arms of their thrones kept them from being truly together, which he didn't like but knew was for the better. The guards ignored the improper action, and they only did it because of the barrier.

She smiled at him, and turned her ear to him. He whispered, "did you find one?"

With another smile, she beamed. "Yes, I think so. He doesn't know what he is here for. I've asked him to keep this meeting a secret from his brother and sister-in-law."

"And the guards?" He asked with a nod towards the armed men.

"Kol said he'd keep them away. He said he'd even rope Matt into it." Kol was a hellion, and would be a good distraction. Matt, however, was the public's favorite - he'd served, and he loved saying nice things about his cousin and cousin-in-law - and wasn't going to fool the guards easily. Still, his thoughts were on a different line of thinking.

"I thought we'd agreed to not tell anyone."

"Kol thinks we're going to use him to make a heir." Caroline rolled her eyes, silently telling him once again that his brother was a pain in her rear.

Klaus made an offended face. "We do not need help," he said, referencing the non-visible baby bump Caroline was sporting.

"You're right. But he doesn't know that, does he?" She paused. "That brings up a question: if this goes through, what do we tell him? That he is here to please us, not continue on the line of succession? Kol already thinks that we cannot conceive, considering we've been on the throne for a few years now."

"We will say that we are looking for a companion in and out of our bedroom, that we will house and feed him, and provide for his family. We will say that we do not need help continuing the Mikaelson line. We will say that he is to be discreet about it, and we will pay him handsomely."

She leaned into him this time, and whispered into his ear, "with riches or pleasures?"

He smirked devilishly at her. "Yes."

She laughed, putting aside thoughts of what would happen if her candidate agreed, and, in the future, impregnated her. They would claim it was Klaus', and no one would be any the wiser, since all three prospective parents in that scenario were blonde.

The doors opened, stopping both her wayward thoughts and his response. Caroline's candidate stepped in, came to a stop some distance from the steps that led to their thrones, and politely ignored their closeness.

Kol took that moment to run screaming through the hallway, very clearly wearing a metal costume and brandishing a sword. Klaus, smirking, shouted, "go after him! We'll be fine in here!"

They ran off, leaving the man - a beauty with darker blonde hair than his Caroline's, strong but complementary features, hazel eyes framed by long lashes - staring at the King and Queen of his country.

Caroline gave a demure smile. "Stefan Salvatore. We have brought you here for a private matter, as you know. We wish for you to speak freely, and we will be doing the same. We have the best intentions, we assure you, and this is no joke."

He looked between them, confused. "Pardon me? Why would I believe this meeting is a joke, Queen Caroline?"

"Just Caroline, please. And you may believe that it's a joke because - "

"Excuse me, my Queen, but may I explain?" Caroline nodded, not minding that he'd interrupted her. "Stefan, please come closer." He waited until Stefan kneeled on the steps to their throne. Klaus waved a hand, and so Stefan warily stood. "We will be casual here. You will call me Klaus. If the guards come back, which they will not, then we will make sure you are safe from their weapons." Stefan blanched.

"King-Klaus, I, I understand this is urgent, but I am feeling impatient that I have not been told what's happening here."

"Stefan, your Queen and I are very much in love. We are very comfortable with each other, and with that comfort, we feel safe to speak of our...desires with each other."

Stefan gaped, and Caroline giggled, blushing at Klaus' words. Klaus smirked at them both.

"We are comfortable enough to tell each other that we want a...companion."

"Do you understand, Stefan?"

"I-can you please...elaborate?" Stefan's eyes went from Caroline's face to Klaus', searching.

"We want you in our bed. We want you to accompany us wherever we go. Ostensibly, you will be our personal staff member, but in reality, you will be our - "

"Friend." Caroline gave Klaus a look.

He smiled at her indulgently, then looked back at Stefan. "Yes. Our friend, that we pleasure every night." He smirked at his wife, who blushed very lightly. It wasn't fitting for a Queen to blush any more than demurely.

"Only if you wish, of course. We will not force you."

Stefan nodded, and looked to the ground.

"And if I decline?"

"That's fine. Just, as we said, your discretion is key here. If you tell the press of this, we will deny of course, accuse you of slander. Probably kick you and your family out of the country."

He pursed his lips. "And if I agree? Is it a forever thing? Am I allowed to leave? Am I stuck here, in this relationship? Am I allowed to move on from you?"

Caroline said, "it's not forever. Whenever you want to leave, you are free to go. We don't expect you to be ours forever, unless that's what you wish." She smiled at him reassuringly, and added, "if you are leaving for a little while, you may come back with an open invitation. If you are leaving for good, you may, but you cannot speak of this with anyone. If you leave, decided you no longer want to be here, with us, then you may live on your life as you wish."

"So I can leave whenever I want, and as long as I am silent, I will not be punished?"

"Yes," they both said.

"Please, give me a moment to think."

Caroline and Klaus nodded, and watched as his eyes swept over the lavish throne room. Not much time passed, though, before his eyes landed on them. "I am willing to try this out."

Caroline beamed, and said, "good."

"We'll start tonight," Klaus added, much to Stefan's shock.

They stood, and made their way towards him. Caroline grabbed his hand when they reached him.

Klaus said, "come, let's show you around the palace. I think you'll like it."

"A-alright," Stefan agreed, wide eyed but clearly excited.

Caroline couldn't help but think that she'd made a great decision with Stefan.


	3. lost originals l

Title from Britney Spears' Three. I don't own anything you see below. Also, this is my first drabbles series, so bare with me, please! I'm also writing a multi-chapter fic right now, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update this.

 **Prompt:** Caroline and Stefan were Originals who had their memories taken from them.

 **Important Note:** The idea of a lost/forgotten original comes from the Klaroline fic, Forgotten Original by LostGirlInTheForest. Other than that, the two stories have very few similarities. I suggest reading it, it's a great fic.

 **Pertinent Info** : This might seem a little confusing, but this is just part one. Established Klaroline turns into established Steroline; mentions of Mikael, Klaroline children, Esther, small mentions of sex and violence (not at the same time); anti-Elena, and anti-doppelgangers in general; stuff's different here than in canon (you'll see what I mean).

 **Warnings** : Rated T for suggestive language, small mentions of abuse, violence, and sex.

* * *

 **1000**

Niklaus smiled at his wife and best friend, encouraging them to make up. They crossed their arms and refused silently by glaring at him. Caroline even tapped her foot and raised an eyebrow. Stefan saw that, and scoffed, looking away.

"Come on, you two, we have to do something about this," he cajoled.

Caroline shook her head. "No, we don't. He can't talk about us like that!"

"I didn't! I was defending you to Mikael. You only heard the end, that's why you think I've wronged you." Stefan glared.

Caroline glared right back. "Am I to believe you after what you said?" Her eyes filled with tears, and Niklaus immediately stepped a little closer. She wanted him close, usually, but not close enough for a hug. If she wanted one, she would let him know. "You said Troy would end up just like Nik. How could you?"

He softened. "I meant he would grow to be a great hunter. Mikael is the one who called Niklaus weak and all of those other terrible things. Not me. I think the world of you both, how could I say something like that?"

Caroline shrugged, then sobbed once. She turned and fell in Niklaus' chest, crying her eyes out. He hugged her close, making sure he didn't hurt her, and pat her back. Over her shoulder, he saw that Stefan's whole body had drooped.

"Mate," he said, and beckoned him. Stefan stepped towards them hesitantly, but eventually hugged his arms around them both.

They'd always been close. Niklaus had had trouble believing his best friend could say something bad about him, but Caroline had been so upset, he'd believed her. However, Stefan seemed appropriately upset over the accusation, and so Niklaus took his explanation as the truth. Caroline might not now, but she would. She would forgive him, their oldest and best friend.

And it would start with a hug.

 **1001**

Niklaus watched as Mother held his wife and bed mate by their chins. He watched as she told them a spell, one that Kol quietly translated. He watched as she made them forget him, his family, and he and Caroline's children.

He watched them run from the home around them. They had nothing but the sunlight rings, Caroline's wedding ring, the clothes on their back, and the other.

Watched as Troy, barely three years old, and Liv, not quite a year old, cried for their mother.

Pulling Mother's heart out was sweet.

 **2009**

Caroline sighed as she waited for Stefan to enroll them. They were technically too old - her at nineteen, him at twenty, both over a thousand years old - but there was nothing else to do. They'd returned home, and the nearest college wasn't in Mystic Falls, so they were off to high school again.

She was playing with her rings when she was approached. Two girls were walking close to her, clearly intending to talk to her. She narrowed her eyes, seeing that one was a doppelganger - Tatia's, _great_ \- while the other was, she believed, a Bennett witch.

Stefan would want to hang around them, though Caroline knew all doppelgangers - even Stefan's - were terrible. She reserved judgement on the witch for now, but anyone who hung around doppelgangers were rarely better people than them.

Still, she smiled at them. Stefan was always harping on her to be nice and friendly. Honestly, she was nice and friendly, just not with doppelgangers. You can ask Tom Avery that. He was the nicest of them all, but every single one was out to get away from whoever it was they looked like and they would go to any lengths to do it. Even nice, kind, gentle Tom Avery.

She forced herself to stop thinking about it, and focused on the girls. When they got to where she was sitting, she stood.

The witch went first. "Hi! My name's Bonnie Bennett, and this is Elena Gilbert. We saw you over here alone, and we were wondering if you'd like to sit with us?"

Elena added, "... you are new, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm new here. My name is Caroline Forbes. It's a pleasure to meet you both." It was hard to choke out her maiden name, not her married name, but she managed it. "I'm waiting for someone right now, actually, but I'd love to make some new friends."

They smiled, extremely friendly. It was odd, but she didn't overthink it. "Who are you waiting for?" Bonnie asked.

"Stefan Salvatore, he's new too. He's - "

"Her boyfriend. Pleasure to meet you both," Stefan said, coming up behind her and resting his hands on her waist.

She rolled her eyes. "You aren't supposed to say that until after you know their names."

"Okay, so what are their names?" He raised an eyebrow playfully, and she wondered distantly why he was putting on a show. They loved each other, of course, but usually he wasn't like this in public.

Elena cut in, "I'm Elena Gilbert, this is Bonnie Bennett. We were just saying we'd like to introduce your girlfriend to our friends, so you can potentially have some familiar faces later."

"Oh! Well okay then. I got our papers, so let's go." He kissed her cheek, and held her hand as they trailed after the two girls. Quietly, so only she heard, he said, "a doppelganger and a Bennett witch? Really?"

"We're in Mystic Falls. What did you expect?" She whispered back. He shrugged, and waved to the group of teenagers at the table they were lead to.

Bonnie introduced, "this is Tyler Lockwood, Matt Donovan, and Jeremy Gilbert. And that is Creepy Damon, ignore him." Bonnie made a face. "He isn't even supposed to be here, he's just hanging out until one of the teachers that he's friends with comes out."

Caroline and Stefan greeted the boys cheerfully. Matt seemed cool, he waved back, but the other two didn't. Tyler gave them both up-downs, Stefan's was clinical while hers was leering. Jeremy just jerked his chin up without looking at them, instead focussing on texting someone. God, teenagers with their phones. She had one, but she honestly hadn't used it in so long she wasn't sure where it was.

Damon cocked his head and stared at them. "Do I know you?"

"Depends," Stefan said with a smirk. "We've met a lot of people."

Damon lost his easy smile, which made her tense up. "Can I talk to you both privately? If you aren't who I think you are, I don't want to embarrass anyone." He leered at Elena, who smiled back a little seductively. Caroline barely kept from rolling her eyes.

Damon grinned back, then beckoned them to a nearby tree.

"Okay, who are you and how old are you?"

They shared a look, silently communicating. Stefan didn't think he was a threat, but Caroline did. Still, she was the one who ended up saying, "we're Stefan and Caroline Salvatore. We're over a thousand years old, so don't even _think_ about trying something."

He choked. "What? Salvatore? A thousand years old?"

"Yeah…."

"Impossible. I know all about the Salvatore's, and you aren't one of them."

"Well duh. We're older than any Salvatore you know. Did you not hear me? We've been alive for a millennium." She tried to make Damon - who was very clearly a baby vampire - realize he was messing around with two beings he wouldn't win against, but he just didn't get it.

"I heard. But I'm telling you, it's impossible. There's almost no vampires alive that are that old, and certainly not any Salvatore's that age. Trust me, I know."

Stefan set his jaw. Good, if he was annoyed, then she could sway him to think Damon was a threat. "And how exactly do you know that?"

Damon smirked. "Two ways. One, that teacher friend of mine is a vampire hunter. And two, my name is Damon Salvatore. I know everything about my family, and _you_ aren't a part of it."

Stefan narrowed his eyes, while she stared at him. "Who's your parents?"

Damon looked shocked for a second before he schooled his expression. "What does it matter?"

"Just tell me," he demanded, and Damon's pupils dilated in compulsion.

"Giuseppe and Lily Salvatore."

"When were you born and when were you turned?"

"I was born in 1839, and turned in 1864."

"By who?"

"Katherine Pierce. The doppelganger."

Stefan broke the compulsion with a curse, and Damon glared at them.

"Katherine Pierce?" Caroline asked, the name coming up clumsily. Stefan gave her a look that clearly said he'd tell her more later, so she nodded and let him continue what he was doing.

"I'm more concerned about the fact that you're Giuseppe's son," Stefan said to Damon. "Are you alright?"

Damon looked at Stefan like he was a ghost. "Why do you ask?"

"Because Giuseppe was an asshole, and if he treated you like he treated me, then I feel it's necessary to make sure you're alright."

Damon stared. "Yeah, I'm fine. How do you know him?"

"He was my brother's descendant. You are, too." He gave an imploring look, but Damon was clearly confused. "My brother, Matteo, he had a son, who had a son, and so on until Giuseppe came along. He had you. Right now, there's Zach here in Mystic Falls and a few others scattered around. Does any of this sound familiar?"

Damon shook his head. "No, it doesn't. I've never heard of you before. I think…." He groaned. "Ugh. I'm going to talk to my hunter friend and get back to you. How long are you staying?"

Stefan shrugged, so Caroline said, "we want to finish high school. We're juniors, right?"

"Yeah. I had to age us way down to do it. I don't think any of the ladies in the office believe me."

Caroline almost answered, a little concerned that they would get caught, but Damon cut in. "Who cares. I want to know how you can compel me."

"I don't know. We've always been able to compel baby vampires."

Damon scowled. "I'm not a baby."

They smiled, probably a little condescendingly but _who cares_ , in Damon's own words. "You're not quite two hundred years old. Even if you were five hundred, you'd still be a baby."

"Yeah, don't forget, we were turned a very, very long time ago."

So long ago, in fact, that Caroline had trouble remembering her childhood. Stefan kept journals of all the years he's been able to, but memories are fleeting. There are holes, and they can't do anything about it.

So not the point right now, though. "We need to get back to the table before they think you're up to something."

"Good plan," Stefan said, and moved back to the table, Caroline not far behind him.

When they got back, Matt asked, "where's Damon?"

Caroline looked around, didn't see him, and shrugged. Stefan postulated, "maybe going to see that friend of his. He said something about that."

"What else did he say?" Elena asked, a little too curious for Caroline's tastes. She was more and more sure, with every comment, that Elena was with Damon. Doppelganger whores, all of them. Even Tom Avery. (God, she really didn't like him, even if Stefan thought he was okay.)

"Oh, he thought he knew us from Chicago. He said he's been once a few years ago, made some friends, and we look like them. It was nothing," Stefan shrugged off.

The bell rang before anyone could respond, though she noticed that Tyler was staring at her. She looked back, giving him a hard look that said back off. He winked and walked away.

Stefan noticed the interaction, but didn't say anything. Instead, he said, "we're in mostly the same classes. Come on."

She smiled at him, pecked him on the lips, and followed after.

The last thing she heard before they got to the walkway was Elena tell someone, "if she gets between me and Damon…." She trailed off, but the threat was there.

As if, sweetheart. Caroline ate humans for breakfast, and none tasted sweeter than doppelgangers.

 **…:::...**

Caroline laid in their bed, thinking out loud. "Okay, so Elena clearly doesn't like me."

"She's threatened by you, there's a difference," Stefan said through his granola bar. She made a face at him, but he wasn't looking at her, so it was pointless.

"Okay, fine, she's threatened by me. Why would she friend me? I'm thinking it's because she knows who or what we are. But if that's the case, then the Bennett witch shouldn't like us, and Damon should've known about you, at the very least. Maybe the hunter has something to do with it?"

"Well, the thing is, there aren't any hunters here. I looked, can't find even a single one. Just a few that died years ago."

"Died like us or died like actually died?"

He smiled at her over his laptop, and she smiled back, feeling tender and gentle. He was the only one who could do that.

"Actually died. But, Care, I was thinking…." He put his laptop and journal aside, and moved towards the bed. She curled her legs under her teasingly. "We shouldn't worry about it for right now. Let's do something else."

He lowered himself over her. She put her hands on his shoulders, covered by his sleeveless sleep shirt, and grinned at him. "Oh? What were you thinking of?"

He licked his lips - her eyes followed the movement because she's dead but she's not _dead_ dead - and replied, "our favorite activity."

"Okay. But if you rip even one strand of this outfit, you're sleeping on the couch."

He laughed, nodded, and leaned down for a kiss. They'd been together for a thousand years, but she never got tired of his mouth on hers.

She made sure he knew that, all night long.

 **…:::...**

The next morning, not tired at all even though they got only two naps in, they returned to the school.

Caroline still felt it was stupid, but Stefan loved school, so she went along with it for him. That day, though, she wished she'd stayed home.

Damon and another man were waiting for them. Stefan parked, and they stepped out at the same time. They were always in sync, and Caroline loved it.

Stefan shook Damon's hand, but she only raised an eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes, and introduced, "Alaric, this is Stefan and Caroline Salvatore. Stefan, Caroline, this is Alaric Saltzman. He teaches history, you have him today. He's the hunter I told you about."

Stefan and Caroline both shook his hand. They didn't want to get on his bad side.

"Hi," he said, a little shy. It was cute, for a hunter. "Damon said you guys are somehow related to him?"

Damon eyed her, and commented, "god I hope not."

Caroline rolled her eyes so hard her eyelids fluttered. Stefan smirked at her. "Shut up," she said, both to Damon and Stefan.

Damon scoffed, but Stefan just laughed.

To Alaric, Stefan said, "yes, we are. I'm his ancestor's brother, and this is my wife. She's not biologically related to you, Damon, don't worry."

"I'm still not convinced that you're related to me," Damon replied, tone biting.

"God, what is your problem? I don't think we brought the family trees with us." To Stefan, she asked, "are they in Florence, or in Chicago?"

"I thought they were here," Stefan responded with a frown. "In the boarding house. I put it in the attic."

"Oh great. We should've left them with Liz."

"She wasn't even born yet, we couldn't have."

"Still, the _attic_?" She gave him a look.

He smiled at her teasingly. "Caroline Salvatore, big bad vampire, scared of an attic? Who would've thunk it?"

She narrowed her eyes but smiled innocently. "Yeah. I'm scared of your attic. I don't know it if you've seen it, but it's a maze full of creepy stuff with little to no light. Lucky I have you to go get whatever I want from it, right?"

He grinned, but Damon coughed and broke up the moment. "Whipped, man. You - are - whipped."

Stefan goodnaturedly shrugged. "Yeah, probably. Anyway, I can't get into the boarding house, but I assume you can. We've plotted out our family trees for centuries, but we haven't been this way since the 1940s, so it isn't up to date. Feel free to look through them."

Damon looked satisfied with that answer, but Alaric wasn't. "Wait. Can you come see me at lunch, or after school in my classroom? I have some questions I want to ask you."

"Sure," Caroline answered, "if you answer one of ours." They both made agreeing noises, so she asked, "who are all the vampires in this town and who knows about them?"

"Just us three. Obviously all four of us know, then there's Elena, Zach, the council, um...I think that's it. Also, Tyler Lockwood, if he smells like dog to you, it's because he's got the wolf gene. I think that's it."

"Okay, and the Bennett witch?"

Alaric's eyes hardened. "Don't worry about her."

Instantly, Stefan stood a little in front of her, and put his hands up in the gesture or innocence. "Okay, okay, we won't. Are we allowed to be part of the clubs here, or is there some rule against it?"

They shrugged, so Caroline and her husband nodded. "Okay. We've got to get to class, but we'll see you after school, alright?"

Alaric nodded, and they walked away.

After a few moments of silence, she said, "are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Of course."

They shared a smile, and separated for their math classes (Stefan was a genius at it, while she was average at best. She's never mastered it, which was something he'd teased her about many times. Whatever, she's way better at science and English, so ha).

…:::...

By the end of the week, Caroline was a cheerleader and Stefan was wide receiver.

Alaric had suspicions about them, but had allowed them to tell Elena they were vampires - more like, Damon told Elena, who instantly wanted to know everything about them, or rather, wanted to know more about Stefan.

Stefan thought it was cute. Caroline wanted to claw her eyes out. Instead of doing that, though, she made sure every time Elena was with them (alone, or with Damon, who made gagging noises every time) that she was as sexual as possible. Stefan loved it, of course. Dead but not _dead_ dead, just like her.

She was having fun making fun of Elena. Maybe it wasn't nice, but it was so easy. Plus, she and Stefan were getting really close, both literally and emotionally. No way it could be wrong if she was strengthening her bond with her hubby.

With those thoughts in mind, and her quick promotion to head cheerleader, she was happy.

Until Alaric, in one of their regular after school meetings, said, "do you know who the Originals are?"

"Of course."

"They're the only vampires older than us. I heard they have younger ones with them, though. I'm not sure who they are."

They both shrugged.

"Hmm. Okay, well….they've been looking for two people for a thousand years."

"Okay?"

"Those people match your descriptions."

Caroline tensed up immediately, while Stefan just sat up straighter. "Are they coming here?" He asked in a calm, soothing voice. Usually, that voice was only used for comforting her after nightmares, or to victims they happen upon. (Damn veggie diet.)

"I think so," Alaric responded apologetically.

"Shit. Care, we gotta…." She nodded, and, after saying bye to Alaric, who wasn't all that bad, they sped home.

If the Originals were coming, then Caroline and Stefan had to be ready for anything. They'd never encountered them that she knew of (both of them had memories shot up with holes), but they were dangerous. And Caroline wasn't about to let her or her husband die.


End file.
